Anirban Lahiri wants to add Asian tour title

Indian golfer Anirban Lahiri is confident he can mount a title challenge at the Queen’s Cup to claim his maiden Asian Tour title outside home turf at the Santiburi Samui Country Club from June 13 to 16.

Lahiri, winner of the SAIL-SBI Open earlier this year, is eager to land his first victory outside India.

Lahiri has proven to be a dominant player when he is at home with all three triumphs achieved in India but he knows it will not be long before he hoists another trophy on foreign land.

“I know I’m good enough to win and I’ve got the game to win anywhere, whether it’s India, Indonesia, Thailand or Malaysia or even in Europe,” said Lahiri, who is currently ranked 10th on the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit.

While the 25-year-old’s talent and knack for winning is unquestionable, he knows it is his ability to stay focused that will be decisive as he chases his second win of the season on the holiday isle of Samui in Thailand.

“The more I try to force it, the tougher it’s going to get and I just got to go out there and play my own game. The moment we get onto the golf course, we’re not thinking about factors like whether I’ve won here or there, I’m just trying to hit the best possible shot and focus on what you need to do,” said Lahiri.

The talented Indian, who practises Vipassna meditation, is looking forward to renewing his rivalry with the best players from the Asian Tour and they include Singapore’s Mardan Mamat, fellow countryman Jyoti Randhawa, an eight-time Asian Tour winner and Kiradech, who currently leads the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit.

“As far as putting it together in 72 holes, if you can do that and you can shoot the same numbers, it doesn’t matter where you’re playing. For me, the focus is to go out there, enjoy my golf and just stick to the basics and keep it in play,” said the Indian, who finished tied-sixth in last year’s Queen’s Cup.